NICU babies get a taste of Halloween thanks to volunteers

The little inhabitants of Parkland Memorial Hospital’s neonatal ICU did their own bit to mark Halloween, sporting homemade costumes for the spooktacular occasion. 

Up to 80 babies got the costumes, created at a crafting party held Oct. 22 at the Dallas hospital. Lending a hand were staff members of the neonatal intensive-care unit, parents and volunteers, using felt, ribbon, glitter and hot glue made available thanks to grants from the Pauline Graivier fund and the Parkland Auxiliary. The socially distanced crafters fashioned an outfit for each NICU baby, with costumes including candy corn, Elvis Presley, ninja turtles, and peas in a pod. 
 

“It is already a challenging and unexpected life event to have a baby in the NICU, but to add the stress of a global pandemic on top of that makes it very difficult for our families,” said Jennifer Porter, a NICU-certified child life specialist. “Having opportunities like these gives both our families and staff a sense of hope and something positive to enjoy, which I think is super important in a time like this.”

The triplets of La’Metrice Taylor, 26, and Jimmy Robertson wore the peas in a pod costumes. The Dallas parents’ babies—Triniti, Tristyn and Trevor—were born in early September. “Having one baby in the NICU is hard, but having three is a roller coaster,” Taylor said. “This was a great surprise to us and I absolutely loved their costumes. It really helped us take our mind off of what’s going on right now.”